


you're mine?

by AngelycDevil, ImagineTheHaus



Series: ITH Holiday Special 2k16 [17]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 8 days to Haus Christmas, F/M, Kent Parson Needs a Hug, M/M, Pining, eric and kent are friends, established Zimbits, everyone is happy, jack zimmermann is the best, kent is clueless, mentions of suzanne and richard bittle, sneak dating, stupid silly boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 11:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9068935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelycDevil/pseuds/AngelycDevil, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineTheHaus/pseuds/ImagineTheHaus
Summary: I know we hate each other but it's Christmas eve and your flight was cancelled pls come inside





	

Bitty stares at the tweet on his phone. Kent is _here._ In Montréal…alone on Christmas Eve. Under any other circumstance, Bitty could’ve turned a blind eye because what Kent Parson does is none of his business. He’s a grown man and he can take care of himself.

But no one should be alone on Christmas Eve.

_Goddammit._

He knows Bob and Alicia will be fine with this, and they do have more food than it’s possible to eat. They’re comfortable with Kent. That leaves his dear and lovely boyfriend to be convinced.

“Are you watching a cat die?”

Bitty jolts. “Good lord!” _Speaking of the dev—_ wait, “What?”

Jack chuckles, running a towel through his wet hair. Unfortunately for Bitty, he’s already all dressed in dark jeans and a sweater. How dare Jack be so decent on Christmas Eve in his parents’ house!

“You look sad, babe,” Jack leans in for a kiss and smiles when Bitty winds his arms around his neck. One sweeping move and Jack is holding Bitty up against him, swallowing Bitty’s squeal with his wicked, wicked tongue.

“You’re in a good mood,” Bitty manages out, breathless.

“I’m spending another Christmas with you, what’s not to love?”

“ _Sap_ ,” Bitty chirps while internally groaning. It isn’t that Jack and Kent _hate_ each other. No, not at all these past few years. Their relationship has been on the mend. It’s just not— “Kent’s in Montréal,” Bitty blurts out.

Jack stills. _Fuck_. “Now?”

“Yeah.”

Jack moves to sit on the bed, Bitty in his lap, studiously following the dips of the curtains by the window.

Jack sighs. “You want to invite him here.” A statement, not a question. As if it’s obvious. Bitty never thought he’d find someone who _knows_ him like this.

Bitty smiles, looking at Jack and falling in love again because he knows Jack too. He knows Jack’s gonna say yes. Because Jack is kind, strong, brave and loving. Yet, Bitty says, “No one should spend Christmas alone.”

“No.” Jack steals another kiss. “Have you talked to Maman and Papa yet?”

Bitty leans into the crook in Jack’s neck. “No. I don’t think they’d mind though.”

Jack snorts. “Probably not.”

* * *

Alicia is nervous. The realization hits swiftly and Bitty finds himself more nervous than before.

“Eric, may I talk to you for a moment?” She still manages a bright smile on her immaculate face.

“C'est quoi ça?” Jack looks up from his phone.

“Camme toé. Just a moment,” she replies.

“Oh. Before that, um…” Jack brows furrow together lightly and Bitty’s fingers itch to smoothen it out like he’s done a thousand times before. “Kent’s in town. The airport is shut down because of the storm and Bitty and I were thinking we should invite him over. Is that, uh, okay?”

Alicia and Bob exchange looks before Alicia sags and Bob grins.

“That’s wonderful, honey.” Alicia moves to rest her head on Jack’s shoulder. “That’s actually what I was gonna talk to Bitty about.”

Bitty exhales slowly.

Jack grins at Bitty. “You know how Bitty is with twitter.”

“Oh, yes, we do,” Bob chimes in, throwing an arm around Bitty and handing him a glass of eggnog.

“We could have Suzanne and Richard pick him up. Didn’t they say they’d be done by now?”

Alicia straightens with a hop. “I’ll call Suzanne right now.”

“And I’ll call Kent,” Jack volunteers.

* * *

“You’re being weird.” Bitty hands Kent a cup of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and whipped cream and sits beside him on the bench. It’s freezing. What the fuck, Kent.

Kent sneers, then sighs. “I know, Bits.”

“You’re gonna tell me why?”

Kent licks at the whipped cream in his cup, bidding time. “I…” He exhales and grits his teeth. A familiar yet recently rare scowl appears on Kent’s face and Bitty sits up, turning slightly to look at Kent fully.

“Kent, are you okay? What is it?”

Kent blows out a huge breath and it billows around him like smoke. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

Kent doesn’t reply.

Bitty shifts closer. “Do what, Kent?”

“Let yourself love someone.”

Bitty freezes. Puzzle pieces slide into place and Bitty leans back. When he can’t think of a good answer, “why would you not?”

“Because they always leave. And I’m not—” Kent clears his throat. “I’m not accusing Jack or blaming him. I know he had his reasons and I respect those. It’s just…” Kent gives a helpless little shrug.

“He still left,” Bitty finishes.

Kent droops, his head hanging between his knees. Bitty moves to rest his head on his shoulder and asks, “Was it worth it? Loving Jack? Do you regret it?”

“No.”

“Then that’s it. Yes, they might leave you or you might leave them, but that’s true for everyone. So the best you can do it find someone who’s worth it.”

The whipped cream in Kent’s cup melts to mush and finally, Kent smiles. “You should have your own show, Bits.”

“Nah, I’m perfectly happy caring for my friends. In fact, I’m _even happier_ when my friends tell me who we’re talking about loving.”

Kent’s smile widens into a grin and he winks at Bitty. “It was a hypothetical question, Bits.”

Bitty sticks his tongue out like a mature adult. “You’re stuck here for a days, Mr. Parson. I’ll get it out of you. Just _watch_.” Bitty grabs his own hot chocolate and heads to the patio door.

“Wait…I—” Bitty swivels at Kent’s words. “If I tell you, do you promise not to tell Jack?”

“Why not?”

Kent rolls his eyes. “He’ll make it weird.”

Bitty raises his eyebrows. “It’s someone he knows?”

“He actually introduced us.” Kent’s finger trails the rim of his cup and _holy shit, is he blushing??_ Warmth threatens to choke Bitty as he hurries back to his seat.

“I won’t tell him. I promise.”

Kent pulls his cup closer to him. “It’s, uh…Alexei. Mashkov,” he adds as if Bitty didn’t know who Alexei is.

“Jack’s Captain Alexei Mashkov?” Bitty repeats.

“Yep.”

“Holy _shit_.” Bitty laughs. “Yeah, okay, Jack would be so weird.”

Kent lifts his eyebrow in agreement.

It takes a bit for Bitty to take it all in and he does it with a smile because Tater is possibly the sweetest, huggiest, happiest person Bitty knows and Kent totally deserves someone like that.

“Okay, so, like, has _he_ told _you_?” Bitty blurts out, officially settling into gossip mode.

“He told me what?”

“That he loves you!”

“Oh, um…no.”

“But you love him.”

“No!”

Bitty stares Kent down unimpressed. “So you just made me sit here in the freezing cold and watch you waste that perfection of a hot chocolate for nothing?”

“Yes.”

“Kennnnnttttt.”

Note: Bitty is not above whining when it comes to his friends’ happiness.

“Look, I haven’t…I haven’t…processed it yet, okay? I mean, I just.” Kent growls out of a sigh. “I was gonna go spend Christmas with him and relax because it’s chill and that’s what we _are_ , we’re chill and then, the flights got cancelled and…I don’t know. I just felt upset! And I haven’t left that upset since…a long time and I—I just thought it meant…you know.” Kent gestures randomly as if his confession of love is an object on the table before them.

“So are yo—wait, are you two even dating?”

Kent shrugs.

_Good lord._

“But you wanna be.”

“Kinda. Yeah.”

“Then ask him out.” _Even though you love him already._

“I don’t know. We have a good thing going right now.”

“Of not talking? Because that’s not a proper relationship and we both know it.”

Kent sighs. “I know. It’s just…scary.”

“Good,” Bitty presses. “That means you care.”

Kent smiles and he gets that tender look in his eyes again. “I do.”

“So do it!”

Kent stares at him in shock. “Right now?”

No, but… “Yes! Do it right now. Call him.”

“What if—”

“Nope. You two were gonna spend Christmas together. That doesn’t happen unless he really likes you. So call him. Right now.”

“Um…” Kent flushes. “O-okay.” He sits back to get his phone from his pocket and looks at Bitty with a helpless look.

Bitty does not smile. Nope. “I’m gonna go inside and wait by the kitchen counter and you are going to call _Alexei_ and talk to him. Cool?”

“Hmhhhm.” Kent takes a deep breath.

Bitty may or may not swoon a little bit. Oh, young love…

* * *

**To Alyosha:**

can i call u

Kent’s phone vibrates and he almost drops it in the process of picking it up.

“Is something wrong?” Alexei’s warm, deep voice is a little higher than usual and Kent melts at his worry.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just…I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh. Are Zimmbonis boring, huh?”

Kent smiles at Alexei’s teasing and the fact that he calls Zimms ‘Zimmboni.’ Hilarious. “Nah, they’re good.” _I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you I love you._ “What are you up to?”

“Snowy’s here. He hear about the storm and came to keep company. We’re watching that stupid…ahhh, what you call, ah, opera?”

“Opera?” Kent raises his eyebrows. “Like singing opera or the talk show Oprah?”

“No. No. The very, very long TV show opera.”

 _Oh my god._ “Soap opera? You’re watching soap operas with Snowy?” Kent bites his lip as he snickers.

“Yes, that. Don’t laugh. Is pretty good.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“We also have Chinese. With the little cookie. Oh, let me tell you something, yeah.” Alexei’s voice lowers and Kent finds himself leaning forward as if Alexei is in front of him. If only… “My cookie said there is great happiness in my future.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Is why I’m glad you called.”

“Why?”

“Because now I’m greatly happy.”

Alexei says it so simply, casually like Kent’s heart doesn’t feel like it’s about to burst. “I—um, I’m glad to hear that.” _Ask him. Say it. Ask him._ “Hey, Alexei?”

“Yes, Kenny?”

“This storm…it’ll pass over soon and we still have a few days before…um, any games and the airline promised to reschedule our, uh, tickets and, um, I—I was wondering if you know, if you’d possibly, you know, like,”

“Kenny,” Alexei interrupts gently. “Breathe.”

_Oh._

“Youwannagoonadatewithme?”

“What was that?”

 _Fuck you, man_. “Do you…want to go…on a date? With me.”

_Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes._

“Kenny.” Alexei sighs.

“What?”

“What you think we have done all time? I take you to little restaurant by ocean. You come over for pizza. We go to the carnival. Disney! Together.”

 _What._ “But I—we, I thought we were hanging out!”

Alexei sighs exasperatedly. “Kenny, we kiss.”

“ _Yeah_ , we had sex too. But…” _Oh my god, they’ve dating, haven’t they? For months…_

“But what, Kenny?” Alexei’s voice has that lilt again. The one he gets when he’s teasing.

Kent huffs. “But nothing. I can’t believe you sneak-dated me.”

Alexei laughs and Kent pushes down the butterflies fluttering in his ribcage for slight annoyance. “From what I remember, you were there too. For _everything_.” Kent can almost see him waggling his eyebrows like an idiot. But he’s not the idiot, is he? Kent is. “You even enjoyed it _a lot_.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Kent says because he doesn’t have anything to say. Well, no… “Fine, okay. We’ve been dating the whole thing, but we’re still going out when I get to Providence.”

“Okay. No problem.”

“Okay. I…I should go before someone comes looking.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.” _I love you._

“Bye bye, Kenny.”

Kent ends the call and stares at himself on the glass before him.

He’s been dating someone. Alexei. For months. He basically has a boyfriend. _Him._

Kent Parson.

_Holy fuck._

**Author's Note:**

> We are always accepting new prompts at our [tumblr](https://imaginethehaus.tumblr.com) account, so feel free to drop by with a little headcanon or ask.


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